Sitting at the bedside of my daughter Francesca, then 12, I tried my best to put on a brave face. It was November 2007 and she’d been hospitalised after collapsing a couple of nights earlier. For years, Francesca had suffered a multitude of severe illnesses, and I lived each day with the expectation that it was her last. But now, after doctors disclosed that her deteriorating lungs were unresponsive to treatment, I knew it was truly the end. Treatment was stopped, machines packed away and after consent from medics, I told Francesca we were going home. ‘OK, but not for the last time, though?’ she said, a slight infliction in her voice. ‘No,’ I replied softly, unable to tell my daughter it was to be the last trip she’d ever make.
Francesca’s health problems began before she was born. At the end of my first trimester of pregnancy, in spring 1995, my toddler Karina had contracted chickenpox while at nursery, and just weeks later, I noticed the tell-tale fluid-filled bumps on my own skin. I didn’t know I hadn’t had the disease before, but my doctor told me the virus couldn’t cross the placenta and not to worry. Only, at seven months, my belly was much bigger than it had been with Karina and scans showed my baby was floating in a vast amount of amniotic fluid.
Denne historien er fra October 12, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 12, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on the gender gap, cats and timed hugs
Check out CHICAGO
With a spectacular skyline, sandy beaches and great food, the Windy City is calling, says Zoe West
LET'S EMBRACE OUR CHRISTMAS TAT!
Becky Dickinson explains why she'll still be rocking around her tinsel-strewn tree this year
BURIED SECRETS
We look at the shocking cases of celebrities posthumously accused of being sexual predators-and how they got away with it
FESTIVE NO-BAKES
Pop on the Christmas tunes and whip up a batch of these easy sweet treats
PROTECT YOUR SMILE
Are you doing enough to look after your teeth and gums?
'TIS THE SEASON TO SHINE!
At last, Hayley McCrossan, 39, feels fit and healthy
FOR THE LOVE OF TOM
When Deborah Mitchell, 57, lost her son, she vowed to help other families facing the same heartbreak
THE NURSE WHO LEFT MY GRANDAD FOR DEAD belict
Rachael Fealey, 31, had one question for the woman who killed her beloved Grampa - how could you?
Coleen's MONEY WORRIES
What are the reasons behind her financial and marriage fears?